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Energy Department Announces New Investments of Over $30 Million to Better Protect the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure from Cyber Attack

September 19, 2013 - 11:47am

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WASHINGTON – Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz today announced awards totaling approximately $30 million for the development of new tools and technologies to strengthen protection of the nation’s electric grid and oil and gas infrastructure from cyber attack.

With support from the Energy Department, energy sector organizations in California, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington State will develop new systems, frameworks, and services that advance the Department’s vision of more resilient energy delivery control systems.

“Keeping the nation’s energy flowing is vital to the safety and well-being of Americans, our economic prosperity, and modern society as a whole,” said Secretary Moniz. “To meet the challenges of today’s evolving cyber landscape, we must continue investing in innovative, state-of-the-art technologies.”

As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to protecting America’s critical infrastructure; these award selections are the most recent example of the Department’s commitment to protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure from cybersecurity threats. Since 2010, the Department has invested more than $100 million in cybersecurity research and development through awards and funding provided to industry, universities and national laboratories.

Recognizing the vital importance of public-private partnerships, the Department has a long history of working closely with Federal, State and industry stakeholders. For example, the Electricity Subsector Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model (ES-C2M2), which was developed last year as part of a White House initiative led by the Department of Energy in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, allows electric utilities and grid operators to assess their cybersecurity capabilities and prioritize their actions and investments to improve cybersecurity. The Department, and many industry stakeholders in the energy sector, are also contributing to the development of the Cybersecurity Framework, which was announced as part of Executive Order 13636 on “Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.”

All of the Department’s cybersecurity efforts align with the Roadmap to Achieve Energy Delivery Systems Cybersecurity, which was developed by the energy sector in coordination with the Department. The Roadmap outlines a strategic framework over the next decade to design, install, operate, and maintain a resilient energy delivery system capable of surviving a cyber incident while sustaining critical functions.

The eleven projects, which will combine advanced expertise in power system engineering and cybersecurity, will include testing of the new products to demonstrate their effectiveness and interoperability. Energy delivery control systems are designed and operated specifically to control the physical processes that result in the delivery of continuous and reliable power.

The eleven projects selected for awards are outlined below. Final award amounts are subject to negotiation.

ABB, Inc. – Cary, NCDOE share: $ 2,765,733; Recipient share: $ 936,793ABB will develop a system that allows substation devices to work together to validate the integrity of communications, such as commands to change a protective relay's configuration, and assess the potential impact on grid operations.

Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI) – Palo Alto, CADOE share: $ 1,524,959; Recipient share: $ 529,384EPRI will develop a framework that allows utilities to centrally manage the remote configuration of their energy delivery system devices – regardless of vendor or age – more securely.

Foxguard Solutions, Inc. – Christiansburg, VADOE share: $ 3,298,893; Recipient share: $ 1,003,399Foxguard will develop a service that allows utilities to simplify the process of keeping up-to-date with the most current firmware and software patches and updates.